<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:14px"><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81412"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81847">I have answered my own question. I Googled it and came up with a McKeesport Daily News history column that is published every Saturday in the newspaper. I'll copy and paste it here.</span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81861" dir="ltr"></div><div class="" id="dfMsgWrap" style="clear: both; overflow-y: hidden; overflow-x: auto;"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81911" class="" style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="" class="">GERRY JURANN</span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81901" class="" style="font-size: 32px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Times serif'; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 1px;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81900" style="" class="">Bygone Days: Rankin Bridge</span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81975"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81904" class="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81908" style="" class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81912" style="" class="">A150-foot
section of the 35-year-old wooden bridge structure fell on Dec. 6,
1933, injuring three trolley car workers and an oil truck driver.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81913" style="" class="">The
Rankin Bridge caved in with two trolleys and a heavy oil truck and
dropped them into the Baltimore and Ohio railroad tracks 40 feet below.
The men were in serious condition.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81907" style="" class="">The
bridge spans the Monongahela River to connect Rankin and Duquesne
Junction. The part that collapsed extended from a traffic circle about
100 feet from the river shore to the Rankin end of the bridge.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81910" style="" class="">Appearance
of the bridge extension following the collapse was like a dip in a
roller coaster, with the floor of the span settling down upon the tracks
rather than leaving a broken hole in the structure.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81909" style="" class="">The
collapse occurred as the trolleys, one loaded with sand and the other
with slag, came abreast of each other moving in opposite directions, a
short distance from the north end of the bridge, before the river
begins. The truck was loaded with empty oil cans and was following one
trolley.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span style="" class="">The injured were Earl McKelvey, 27, a truck driver, with back and leg injuries; Frank J. </span></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81906" style="" class=""><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81914" style="" class="">Hess,
motorman, with possible leg fracture; Francesco Graeco, 45, head
injury; and Wesley Becker, operator of one of the trolleys, was sent to
Mercy Hospital with unspecified injuries.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81915" style="" class="">Howard
Jackson of Pittsburgh was driving his automobile across the bridge
behind one of the trolleys when he saw the three vehicles begin falling
through and heard the deafening roar of the collapsing bridge. He halted
just in time to avoid plunging through the hole.</span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81905" class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81922" style="" class="">B&O
trains were flagged immediately following the collapse at 10 a.m. and
railroad, street and automobile traffic were re-routed. A wreck train
began removal of debris. Police deputized civilians to aid traffic
direction. The main part of the bridge was continued in use but both the
collapsed section and a second extension leading toward Braddock were
closed.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81928" style="" class="">On
Dec. 7, 1933, Commissioner C. C. McGovern said Allegheny County would
not rebuild the ramp of the Munhall-Rankin Bridge extension. He placed </span></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81903" style="" class=""><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81927" style="" class="">blame for the bridge collapse on the Pittsburgh Railways for permitting two cars upon the extension at the same time.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81902" style="" class="">After
investigating the broken span in company with Commissioner C. M. Barr
it was declared that the county was blameless. The bridge was adequate
for a reasonable amount of traffic. The streetcar company had an
easement permitting them to use the bridge for a yearly charge which was
equal to the maintenance cost of the bridge.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81923" style="" class="">Heavy
work trains of the railroad had the tracks cleared the same day. Only
one street car line was affected by the collapse. Passengers on Route 67
between Rankin and Braddock were forced to transfer cars and walk
around the cave in section.</span><span class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81924" style="" class="">The
collapse ripped down telephone cables leading from McKeesport to
Pittsburgh, but an auxiliary circuit over another route prevented an
interruption of service.</span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81925" class="" style="font-size: 2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"> </span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81926" style="" class="">Gerry Jurann is a former Daily News librarian.</span></span></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81976"><br><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81904" class="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81903" style="" class=""><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81926" style="" class=""></span></span></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81977" dir="ltr"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81904" class="" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81903" style="" class=""><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81926" style="" class="">Bill<br></span></span></span></div></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81413"> </div><font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81860" size="3"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1411561114964_81859" style="font-family:comic sans ms;">http://csxmonsub.rrpicturearchives.net/<br></span></font></div>
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